


Sink Or Swim

by S_Nebulosa



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Lena Luthor Doesn't Know Kara Danvers is Supergirl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 00:21:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13259670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/S_Nebulosa/pseuds/S_Nebulosa
Summary: Kara and Lena go to the swimming pool, but Lena doesn't actually know how to swim. Or how to tell Kara that she doesn't know how to.





	1. Lesson One

Kara’s laugh resonates through the near-empty hall. Drops of water cling to her lashes and drip down her skin. She feels so at home in the water that it takes her two laps to notice something is amiss. She turns around, eyes searching the water for the other person. After three full turns realisation hits her and her eyes swerve to the door where they entered. There she sees her, standing rigid with her arms hugging around her chest. Frozen in space and time.

“Lena?!” she yells across the pool. “Come in, the water is so good!”

But the raven-haired woman gives no sign of hearing anything Kara’s saying. Kara quickly makes her way to the side and pulls herself out of the water. By the time she’s at Lena’s side, the pale woman has started trembling.

“Lena?” Kara tries again, unsure of what to do and how to help her friend.

Tentatively, she puts her hand on Lena’s arm in an attempt to reassure her a little. The touch seems to snap Lena out of her daze and her eyes lock in on Kara. Kara looks at the green orbs and sees them filled with uncertainty and fear of rejection.  
“What’s wrong?” Kara asks.

“It’s silly.” Lena shakes her head and drops her arms to her side. “It’s just- you’d think I’m crazy probably.” Her gaze moves to her bare feet, obviously avoiding eye contact with Kara.

Kara carefully lifts Lena’s chin with her hand so their eyes meet again.  
“Lena, you’re not crazy, not like that, and your feelings are not silly,” she says with a smile. “Just tell me.”

Lena takes an unsteady breath and gives Kara a little nod while finding the right words.

“I don’t know how to swim,” she whispers, so soft Kara almost misses it.

“You- You don’t know how to swim?” Lena nods in affirmation. “Rao, you let me take you to the swimming pool so we could… well… swim, even though you don’t actually know how to?”

Lena shrugs a little. “I just couldn’t say no to your enthusiasm and I ran out of excuses.”  
A smile starts tugging at Kara’s lips as she finally understands the ridiculous outings they had the weeks before. The numerous picnics, the board games, the farmer’s market even though neither of them actually ever cooked dinner, every single movie that played in theatres, at least a handful dinners at new restaurants, the zoo, the aquarium. They even went to the carnival.

Kara lets the hand that was beneath Lena’s chin drop to grab the brunette’s hand instead.

“Lena, you can always tell me if you don’t want to do something or if something makes you feel uncomfortable. Remember that next time.” Her thumb is rubbing soothing circles on the back of Lena’s hand as she waits for the CEO to react.

“Okay,” Lena mutters softly. She takes a deep breath and lets her gaze fall upon the pool once more. She steels herself and stiffens slightly before surprising herself with her next words, “now that we’re here anyway, you might as well teach me how to swim.”

Kara gives her hand a little squeeze before nudging her towards the other end of the pool.

“Here the water is less deep. You should be able to stand,” she explains when they get there. She squats down and carefully sits at the edge of the pool, never releasing Lena’s hand. With a soft pull, she encourages the brunette to sit down next to her. Lena follows her example and cautiously dips one toe in the water first. The rest of her foot follows and not long after both lower legs are fully emerged. Her hold on Kara’s hand has only tighten a little bit, but Kara hardly notices it as she looks over at the brave bikini-clad woman next to her. She remembers the first time she went swimming on earth. It was a strange sensation. It felt so similar to flying yet was so different. It had the same sense of making her feel like she was weightless but the water around her made her feel a lot more down to earth than the air did while flying. Swimming made her feel like she fit in. Swimming seemed like the human way of flying and was thus a way for Kara to connect with people. When she was swimming, she could just clear her head and enjoy for a moment. Forget about her super powers and Krypton. Forget about learning new customs, a new culture. Forget about school. At least, until she became Supergirl. As Supergirl, she could actually fly for real. But swimming still was the second-best thing in this world.

“What are you thinking about?” Lena’s voice snaps her back to reality. She looks up and meets a pair of curious green eyes.

“The first time I went swimming,” she says as she makes circular motions in the water with her legs. Lena simply quirks an eyebrow, silently asking for an elaboration.

“It was just after my parents… died.” Kara’s voice almost cracks. It still hurts to talk about it. Lena’s thumb begins making a soothing circular pattern on the back of Kara’s hand, the same way Kara did for her earlier.

“When I finally got the hang of it, I loved it. It was a way for me to just forget for a while. To just be and not have to think about it.” She looks at the small ripples in the water created by the movement of her legs. They sit like that for a while. Both staring at the wrinkles on the surface. Their brooding is interrupted by a shiver running across Lena’s back.

“You’re cold,” Kara states, pointing at the goose bumps adorning the brunettes body.

“Well, it’s cold here,” Lena says in defence.

“The water is warmer,” Kara says, sending a new wave of ripples across the surface as she wriggles her leg. Lena takes a deep breath in and steels herself.

Kara looks up at Lena, a silent ‘are you ready?’ in her eyes. Lena gives her a small nod as the blonde pushes herself off the side. The water on this side of the pool indeed isn’t extremely deep. It reaches to Kara’s armpits. She moves to stand in front of Lena and her free hand rises out of the water to take a hold of Lena’s other hand. Lena slides her fingers in the hand and lets Kara guide her. The blonde’s steady hands slowly pull Lena forward until she’s almost at the point of falling into the water. Kara lets go of Lena’s hand and is met with a small shriek as Lena loses balance at the unexpected movement and starts tumbling forward. Before she is left to drown in the water, however, Kara’s strong hands are around her waist and hold onto her. They keep her from descending too fast in the depths of the water. Lena’s hand instinctively moves to hold Kara’s forearms. Her eyes are closed, fully trusting Kara not to let her drown. The warm water feels nice as it inches up her body. Sooner than she expects, her feet are touching the bottom and her downward motion is ended. The only thing that’s still above the surface is her head, but it’s just enough for her. She opens her eyes and looks at the blue ones staring back at her in awe. Her hands are still holding tight onto Kara’s arms as they both inch closer, lost in the moment.

 

Lena’s foot slips and the moment is lost as she is barely held above the water by Kara holding on tight to her. The look in Lena’s eyes has changed in the blink of an eye from awe to terror while her heartrate and breathing speed up. Kara, of course, picks up on this change and carefully helps Lena get her footing back.

“It’s okay, Lena. I’ve got you. I won’t let go,” Kara whispers reassuringly while Lena steadies herself again. Lena’s hands hold on tight to Kara’s shoulders and slowly her breathing evens out. A little while later her heartrate also returns to almost normal –it’s all Kara expects because Lena still is scared.

“Were you really going to kiss me?” Lena finally asks, breaking the heavy silence.

“Only if you were going to kiss me,” Kara admits. A blush appears on both their cheeks but neither notices.

“Maybe we should try that again when I’m not about to drown?” Lena asks with a twinkle in her eyes.

Kara stutters something unintelligible. Lena takes it as a yes and tries to get Kara to move them to the side of the pool to get out. Kara firmly holds her in place.

“Not so fast. You’re going to get your first swimming lesson before we get out,” Kara tells her, a playful yet stern tone in her voice as she removes one hand from Lena’s side.

“Are you implying there’ll be more swimming lessons after this one?” Lena’s voice is both joyful and afraid and Kara doesn’t know whether she would actually like that idea or not.

“If you agree.” Kara shrugs slightly and removes her other hand from Lena’s hip. “But I think everyone should know how to swim. Especially billionaires in their twenties.” She teases with a wide smile which is met by an equally wide smile from Lena. Before Lena notices what’s happening, the strong shoulders beneath her fingers are lowering and disappear. Kara reappears a few meters away from her, beckoning for Lena to swim to her.

Swimming lesson one has started.


	2. Lesson Twenty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena's twentieth swimming lesson in preparation for a planned trip to Midvale where she wants to enjoy the ocean with Kara without any fears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a second chapter because I felt like it. If I get inspired I might write more, so feel free to leave ideas or things you want to see.  
> Also feel free to point out any mistakes, typos, other errors so I can change them and improve my writing.

“Last one in the water pays for dinner,” Kara yells before she breaks free from Lena’s hold on her hand and sprints to the water, diving in just as the words start to dawn on Lena. _Damn, that girl really is fast._ Lena reminds herself to give Jess more credit for making Kara wait when she’s on a call.

“Good thing I’m loaded because my girlfriend eats like a horse,” Lena jokes with an amused smirk as she sits down on the edge of the pool to look at Kara floating on the waves she’d created when she jumped in. Lena lets her legs get used to the temperature of the water before gently sliding forward and off the edge, standing on the less deep side of the pool.

Kara dunks her head in the water, her body soon following and like a fish she makes her way over to Lena, popping up right in front of her with a wide smile on her face and water clinging to her lashes.

Lena smiles softly at the sight, her dorky girlfriend with her sunshine smile who practically radiates love, standing right here. She doesn’t know how she ever managed to earn herself someone as amazing as Kara Danvers but she thanks all the Gods she doesn’t normally believe in for this gift.

Kara gets a naughty gleam in her eyes and before Lena can register it, she leans forward and captures the ravenette’s lips in her own. Lena can taste the chlorine on Kara’s soft lips as she leans into the kiss, her hands moving towards her girlfriend’s body looking for anything to hold on to, anything to ground her. She finds strong muscles and rests her hands upon them, slowly tracing upwards.

Kara pulls away before Lena’s hand reach their destination and Lena nearly whines at the loss of contact, her hands trying desperately to pull Kara closer but failing miserably. Her girlfriend really is a lot stronger than she is. Kara laughs mischievously, as if this was all planned, and dives into the water once again, swimming to the other side of the pool where she resurfaces again.

She gestures for Lena to come to her, to the deep end. Even though Lena now technically knows how to swim and is comfortable enough doing it in the shallower water, she hasn’t been in the deep end yet. It’s psychological, she knows, but that doesn’t make it any less scary. At least in the shallower water she can stand if she happens to draw a blank on how to swim.

The fear must show on her face because Kara calls out to her from the deep end, “I won’t let you drown, Lena! Do you trust me?”

Lena nods slowly. Of course she trusts Kara but it’s still a big step. Taking a steadying breath in, she lets her mind drift to the ocean. The languid waves hitting the shore, sending foam, shells and seaweed scattering, slowly gaining terrain as the days progresses. Kara in her board shorts and criminally good-looking bikini top, skin glowing in the smouldering sun as she makes her way deeper into the water. Her head bobbing up and down as the ocean tosses her back and forth as it pleases. Lena tries to imagine herself in the water with Kara. Maybe not as deep, maybe the water just reaches her chest and tugs at the tips of her hair. Her hands floating in front of her, kept from sinking by the high salt percentage of the water and a little help of her own muscles. The skin covering her finger tips slowly pruning, crinkling and softening to increase grip. Laughing at silly tricks Kara shows her; handstands, summersaults, chasing fish. She can already imagine it.

Lena breaths out firmly between pursed lips and opens her eyes. She can do this. The deep is just like the shallow and she’s been swimming there just fine for a while now. It’s a mental challenge and she’s Lena friggin’ Luthor. She can handle mental challenges.

Determined, she kicks off from the ground and propels herself up and forward in Kara’s direction. She pumps her legs and feels the water slide trough the slits between her fingers as Kara’s face slowly comes closer. She doesn’t look down to look when exactly she leaves the shallow water, trusting Kara completely to rescue her when something goes wrong.

Kara had quickly proven to her she could rescue her and even showed her, in the shallow water of course, how that would work. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, being dragged on top of the water on her back with an arm clenched tight around her body but it had served to stop her from worrying about drowning in the middle of the pool with no guards around to drag her out of the water.

 

Before long, she swimming right into Kara’s waiting arms.

“You did it, babe!” Kara cheers, her knees occasionally knocking into Lena’s as they both tread water to keep from sinking.

“I did it!” Lena shouts back just as enthusiastically, momentarily forgetting she’s still in the deep water.

Kara lets herself drift to her back, floating on the water with one hand holding onto Lena’s. She motions for Lena to do the same and Lena quickly obliges. The water feels like a soft mattress -one that does require some muscle to lay down on, but one nonetheless- and Kara lazily kicks her feet, making her way back across the pool again, dragging Lena along with her by their connected hands. Lena follows suit and kicks herself forward too, coming up next to Kara.

“I think I finally understand it,” Lena says after they turn around for another lap.

Kara makes a confused noise and tilts her head to the side, trying to discern what Lena means from her facial expression.

“The feeling of just forgetting everything for a while when you’re swimming. Of just only being,” Lena says, referencing what Kara had told her right before her first impromptu swimming lesson.

“Hmm, it’s nice huh.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“For what?”

“For giving me this, teaching me how to swim.”

“Anything for you.”

“So, if I feel like potstickers tonight?” Lena teases.

“Never!” Kara screams, tearing -with controlled force- her hand from Lena’s and diving beneath the water to swim away.

Lena laughs so hard her muscles give in for a moment and her before she can correct it, she’s sinking like a brick. Her face going from a bright smile to a look of complete shock.

She knows how to swim. She’s proven she knows how to swim.

Her head submerges, water flowing in through her nose and mouth. Instinctively, her legs and arms kick out and down in an attempt to move her body upwards. To move to the surface and inhale air, oxygen. After a few terrifying seconds filled with splashing, her head breaks the surface and she spits out the disgusting pool water in favour of breathing in deeply.

Before she can drop back down again, two warm arms wrap around her and hold her up. They press her close and tow her to the edge of the pool, somehow lifting her onto it and sitting her down.

“Lena, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Kara draws up next to her and pulls her frozen body in a hug when Lena nods as if in trance.

Lena’s brain refuses to catch up and her body doesn’t seem to either, shaking relentlessly and still gasping for air even though she was only cut off from it for a brief moment. Not long enough to actually cause an oxygen deficit on her body, it just doesn’t seem to realise it. Kara holds her at a distance again, pushing their bodies apart a little but holding on to both of Lena’s shoulders as she checks her out.

“Are you hurt? Do you- Are you-?” Kara asks, her voice breaking on the unspoken words while she explores Lena’s body with her fingers to search for any damage.

Lena shakes her head, feeling tears build in her eyes. She’s fine, she’s physically fine, just a little startled. Kara pulls her close again, wrapping her in one of the warmest hugs she’s ever had -and by now she’s had a lot of hugs from Kara to compare this one with.

“Oh, Lena, I’m so, so, so sorry,” Kara whispers as she strokes Lena’s hair, the younger woman clutching at her skin for a little more comfort.

“It’s not your fault,” Lena says after a while. She’s stopped shaking and her breathing is back to normal.

“I should have been there. I promised not to let you drown.”

“I didn’t drown.”

“No, but you could have.” Kara brushes a wet strand of hair away from Lena’s face.

“Kara, I’m fine. Just a little startled,” Lena says, cupping Kara’s hand on her own cheek and looking at her in hopes of conveying her message through her eyes as well.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes-” Lena moves her hand to Kara’s arm and gives her a small squeeze- “thank you.”

Kara sends her a soft smile in reply and Lena leans forward, her forehead touching Kara’s, another brief signal she’s really okay, before she gets a mischievous gleam in her eyes and pulls away. In one swift motion she pushes her body off the tiles and slips into the water. Her mind set on proving herself she can still swim as she makes her way to the other end with sure but at the same time tentative strokes, briefly closing her eyes and taking a grounding breath when she nears the spot where the pool deepens. She has to do this if she ever wants to swim again and she wants to. She wants to go to Midvale with Kara and swim in the ocean. She wants to make sure Alex doesn’t have yet another reason to poke fun at her. She wants to be able to swim with her friends. With maybe, possibly, any future children she’ll have. She has to be able to swim and dare to do it.

“Lena! What are you doing?” Kara shouts, followed by a loud splash of Kara jumping in the water to chase after her.

“Swimming,” Lena deadpans as she keeps her head faced forward and making her way across the pool.

“You just nearly drowned, Lena.”

Kara pulls up next to her but Lena doesn’t stop her motions, she’s too stubborn to let someone, even her girlfriend, change her mind.

“I didn’t. I’m getting back on the horse that bucked me.”

“There’s no horse here.”

“Figuratively, Kara. If you get bucked off a horse, you should get right back on. Which is what I’m doing now,” Lena explains. Sometimes she would swear Kara didn’t grow up in the US with some of the idioms she doesn’t know that seem so normal to Lena.

When she reaches the wall, she turns around to swim to the closest ladder. Kara catches her change of direction and follows.

As Lena climbs out of the pool she asks, “are you done getting on the horse then?”

“Yes, love, I am.”

“And you’re sure you’re okay?”

Kara pushes herself up on the pool wall and plants her foot next to her, leaving the pool in one swift motion with a little twirl.

“Positive.”

“Good.” Kara is by her side in no time, stepping close and taking her hand but before Lena can lean in she’s dragged along to the showers.

“Now,” Kara says as she pushes Lena under the warm jet of the first shower, “I believe we have something to finish?”

Lena had almost forgotten what happened before her little drowning scare, but Kara nipping at the sensitive skin of her neck brings back the memories and desire. Lena hums approvingly as she throws her head back, baring more skin for Kara’s mouth.

“Then you should shower really quick so I can take you home,” Kara chuckles, pulling away from the flushed body pressed between her and the wall. Lena doesn’t even attempt to stop the whine coming from her mouth but knows Kara is right, this is something best continued home.


End file.
